A GANG, who took over the houses of addicts across Clacton to deal drugs, have been convicted following a three-year investigation by Essex Police’s North Operation Raptor team.

The Jay Boys, a gang from North and East London, ran a county drugs line into Clacton supplying heroin and crack cocaine over a three-year period.

They targeted the homes of vulnerable addicts, using violence and intimidation to take them over to use as a drug dealing base in a practice known as “cuckooing”.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard how the gang would make and average of £2,000 to £3,000 a day supplying drugs.

But their drug dealing career was cut short when they came up against officers from the North Operation Raptor team. The team spent three years investigating the gang and compiling the damning evidence to put them before the courts.

The jury were told how the team’s efforts came to fruition on February 1 2016 when they executed a warrant at the home of 45-year-old Steven Root in Hadleigh Road, Clacton.